Justin has potential to succeed Chong Wei - Misbun

KUALA LUMPUR - Promising national men's singles player Justin Hoh has the potential to become the successor to national badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei.

That is the view of former Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) junior development director (singles) Datuk Misbun Sidek, who said that Justin was the best shuttler he had ever coached during his stint as junior development director.

"He (Justin) was the best shuttler I had at that time, within three years he proved his mettle. He is a player who listens and wants to succeed.

"That’s why he said I am like a father figure (to him). He gave his all to be a successful player,” he told a press conference yesterday.

Justin, 19, has won several titles, including the 2022 Bonn International Championships in Germany, the 2022 Croatian Open and the 2023 Uganda International Challenge.

The world's 67th-ranked Justin had also posted on his Instagram page on Sunday that former national shuttler Misbun was the best coach for him.

On Friday (July 28), the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) announced that Misbun and the country’s badminton governing body had mutually agreed to part ways following the lacklustre performance of the national juniors at the recent Asian Junior Badminton Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Yesterday, Misbun claimed that BAM’s decision contradicted what was reported in the media and said that he was actually dismissed after attending a special committee meeting to present a post-mortem on the failure of the juniors in Yogyakarta.

Although he felt let down, the former national head coach said that he did not have the authority to protest and accepted the decision.

Misbun said he totally disagreed with BAM’s move to rope Justin into the senior squad last year because he said his protege was not mature enough to take on more experienced players.

He said that Justin had previously been rumoured to have said that he did not want to be promoted to the senior squad and Misbun is also concerned with the left Achilles tendon injury the shuttler sustained during training in April.

Justin is on a six-month break to recover from that injury. - BERNAMA